Ryan Cameron has lived in the UK nearly all of his life – he says he can’t come home from Barbados amid a ‘phased approached’ by the Home Office to introduce physical documents
‘It’s heartbreaking when your kids are in tears because dad’s not coming'(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
A dad has been left heartbroken after he has been kept apart from his children over a visa issue.
Ryan Cameron says he has lived in the UK since he moved from Denver, Colorado when he was 18 months old. The stranded dad says he has indefinite right to remain.
He says the was prevented from boarding a flight home from Barbados on March 16 because his physical paperwork was no longer valid. The Home Office says it is taking a “phased approached” to replacing physical documents with eVisas, a form of digital record.
Travel documents “will automatically be linked” to UKVI accounts from March 11.
Ryan says he misses his children(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
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The Home Office said the physical documents are still valid, but Ryan claims he used the ones he has taken on holiday previously and he was denied boarding. He says he was told he now needs to apply for a No Time Limit (NTL) visa, which he is only allowed to do if he’s in the UK.
As a result, Ryan has remained separated from his children for around seven weeks ater they flew home with his mum. Immigration officials have not allowed him to leave Barbados, he says.
Ryan, a professional tiler who lives in Cornwall, has so far raised £2,600 towards a £3,000 goal on a GoFundMe page to help his business, which is now at “serious risk” due to “thousands being lost from “pre-booked work”.
Ryan has a US passport(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
The Home Office has said it is”working with carriers to resolve the issue”. The Mirror has also contacted for an update.
Ryan, from Blackwater, said the situation is “heartbreaking.”
“People can’t comprehend how much this situation affects their kids, let alone my mental health, my emotional wellbeing and my financial situation,” he said. “It breaks my heart every day when I speak to my kids over Facetime and they just cry, asking for dad to come home.
‘They refused to let me fly because the paper form wasn’t digital,’ Ryan claims(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
“When they scanned my passport in the UK, you would’ve thought something would’ve flagged up but absolutely nothing. When I got to the airport in Barbados, I had to then rescan my passport for the tourist visa, then nothing flagged up.”
Ryan said he has travelled with a US passport his whole life but he has never had an issue. He says he is British and has lived in the country without problems.
“Upon going back it suddenly transpired that they refused to let me fly because the paper form wasn’t digital.”
He said the Home Office said it sent out emails but that he can’t find anything that notified him of the changes.
Ryan says the case is still with the Home Office(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
“We were ready to board the plane and that’s when they said I can’t board the plane” he said. “It’s heartbreaking when your kids are in tears because dad’s not coming. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster.”
Ryan says he went to the British High Commission the day after being denied boarding. They told him to speak to the American Embassy because of his US passport, who in turn told him they were unable to help as the flight was bound for the UK. From there, Ryan continued his complaint with the Home Office.
The Home Office granted permission to fly on an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), but officials from UKVI denied it as he is a UK resident and not a tourist, it is claimed
Ryan thinks authorities have shown a lack of compassion in dealing with his case.
“There’s conflicting stories between the Home Office and UK Visa and Immigration staff so there’s not one straight path they both could agree for me to take,” he said.
“It’s hard and there’s no compassion from any authority to help. I’ve not seen my kids in over a month. It costs a lot of money because the visa was £1,000 alone and there was no guarantee it was going to get accepted.
“You still have to live and you’ve still got bills going out at home. On top of that I’m losing thousands in work. Just two days ago I had a £5,000 contract I was supposed to start and they just sent me a WhatsApp saying ‘I’m really sorry, but we have to get someone else because we need to crack on with the job’, which is fair enough.”
The Home Office has said that the transition to eVisas “does not affect your immigration status or the conditions of your permission to enter or stay in the UK”.
Those with indefinite leave to remain can use physical documents which can be an ink stamp in passports. Ryan insists he was carrying the documents
Home Office regulation explains the transition to online ‘eVisas’ does not impact immigration status and those with indefinite leave to remain can still use physical documents instead. These documents, such as an ink stamp or vignette [visa sticker] in passports, must be carried while travelling, which Ryan insists he did.
A Home Office spokesperson said previously: “We are working with carriers to resolve the issue and ensure Mr Cameron can return to the UK.”
Ryan’s GoFundMe can be found here.